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Bongani Ndlovu/Mkhululi Ncube, Showbiz Correspondents
JOSHUA Ndlovu (45) left his Pumula North house in Bulawayo with his wife Nompumelelo (40) and their three children Yolanda (17), Yoliswa (11) and Luvuyo (8) to watch the family’s favourite musicians — the Soul Brothers at Umcimbi Wabantu held in the city last Saturday.
Although the show at the City Hall car park started at 6pm and the weather was chilly, this did not stop the Ndlovus from attending as the main act reminded Joshua of his late father who had a collection of all the Soul Brothers’ albums.
Joshua’s father played the albums, then on vinyl, religiously every Saturday morning from his WRS Stereo before leaving for MaDlodlo Beer Garden in Mzilikazi suburb.
Since Umcimbi Wabantu was billed to start early, Joshua thought by midnight he and his family would be back home.
Dropping off at TM Hyper rank with his family, Joshua walked to the Large City Hall car park and as he waited for the show to start, he looked forward to enjoying the band’s old songs such as Bazobuya which his father used to play.
Joshua and his family did not face any hassles entering the show venue but had to endure a six-hour wait for the Soul Brothers to come on stage. The band only started peforming at around 12.45AM but only played a few songs before a power outage. This did not go down well with the revellers who responded by throwing missiles on the stage.
Joshua who feared for the safety of his family, quickly left the venue and hired a taxi home.
The Soul Brothers who also feared for their lives following the outbreak of violence, were whisked away in their branded Mercedes Benz Sprinter. Some revellers who were in the VVIP section like Chief Ndiweni, self-coronated King Lobengula, Sihlangu Dlodlo and the Skyz Metro FM team among others also left the venue.
The premature ending to the show robbed people of watching three class acts, namely Zinjaziyamluma, Madlela Skhobokhobo and Clement Magwaza.
At one stage the revellers started chanting Int’ oyenzayo, siyay’zonda to express their displeasure at the performance of the relatively unknown artistes thereby delaying the appearance of the Soul Brothers.
Some of the fans at the show had brought their families like Joshua while others were the mature fans who had not planned to spend the whole night at the Large City Hall car park. Perhaps the organisers of the show failed to read that most people who would attend were in that bracket and they had to be catered for with an early performance by the Kings of Mbaqanga.
When Jeys Marabini took to the stage, many were heard saying manje sokuhanjwa, meaning the show has started! After an exhilarating and top drawer performance by Jeys which concluded with Ndwandwe (Lamulela), many thought the atmosphere was now at fever pitch and what was left was the Soul Brothers’ performance.
But alas, it was not to be as more relatively unknown acts invaded the stage once more. It was only Khuxxman who managed to keep the mood high in the crowd with his hits MaNcube, Amaloja and Nyawo Lami after Jeys Marabini’s performance.
Online Reporter